THE WANDERING EYE...

The Wandering Eye.

It was his 39th birthday. He arrived to work with a feeling that something in the future was about to change, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He was at his cubicle in the office and couldn't believe that none of his coworkers remembered that it was his birthday. Why should they? His life had become so mundane. The routine and rut that his life had gotten stuck in was finally taking it toll on him. He had married his high school sweetheart, who after nearly 20 years of marriage was making it clear that she was never going to change. He needed a change, he needed to know what it was like to feel the rush of excitement and the thrill of feeling appreciated. It was lunch time and he decided to stay at his desk and do some research. He wanted to do something different for his birthday and treat himself. He started researching having an affair. Contrary to what he perceived, he learned that the statistics show more and more people were engaging in extramarital affairs.

He found a website that specialized in finding cheating partners for people interested in having an affair. He figured what the hell, if nothing else it would be good entertainment for his money just to see what kind of people were really members of a website like that. He paid his membership fees and started browsing through the profiles. He came across a woman's profile who was 33 years old. She said in her profile that she felt like she was in a dead end marriage and that she felt nonexistent in her life. She was seeking someone who could make her feel special again. WOW, he thought. This woman was having the same issues that he was experiencing in his marriage. He sent Seeking Sparks' profile an initial email explaining how it was his birthday and he only joined the website out of curiosity and he really didn't believe that he would find any women who were troubled with the way their life was panning out. Would she really respond? Only time would tell. He ate his lunch and went back to working.

A couple hours later he received an email telling him that he had received a message on the website. He logged back in to his account and began reading her response. She said that he had caught her attention and she could tell he was someone she would be interested in getting to know better. She was articulate, interesting, and vibrant in her response to him. In her closing sentences she told him that she had unlocked her private profile photographs and asked him if he would mind unlocking his so she could see if that physical spark she was seeking was there to go along with the connection they had just made. He sent her his profile key and a response to her email and went back to getting some stuff done in the office. They corresponded in depth a few more times and she said he had made her feel comfortable enough to meet her for a few drinks if he was interested. It was almost the end of the day, and since his wife and him were so distant lately, it would be fairly simple for him to buy some time. After all it wasn't like she had planned anything special for his birthday, the last several birthdays were all just a routine blur anyway. He sent his wife a text message letting her know that several people had called in sick and that he was going to work a double shift to make some extra money.

He and “Seeking Sparks” decided to meet at an upscale Italian restaurant for a bottle of wine and some pasta. He was feeling slightly nervous, it had been two decades since he had last been on a date. He arrived to the restaurant a little bit early to have a stiff drink to take the edge off before she got there. As it approached closer to the time she was supposed to arrive, he started to wonder if she was going to get cold feet and stand him up. Just as he was finishing his drink he caught her in his peripheral vision out of the corner of his eye. He didn't turn his head, he wanted to make her approach him first. She touched him on the shoulder and said, “You're even more attractive in person.” He blushed as he turned towards her stood up and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Your photographs don't do you justice yourself,” he replied. They sat down and engaged in some really thought provoking conversation, and ordered pasta dishes. He was impressed with her knowledge, sophistication, and worldliness and hoped she was equally impressed with him. It was starting to get late. They had polished off two bottles of wine and nearly 3 hours had passed since they had finished eating their pasta. They both did not want the evening to end but had to get back home. They walked from the restaurant to her car and as they started their closing statements, they gazed into each others eyes and felt that “spark” give them goose bumps. She leaned into him and kissed him. Her lips were so soft, moist, and warm that he didn't want to let go. They stopped and she just smiled from ear to ear and said, “I'll email you.” He replied, “I'm looking forward to it.” She made him feel youthful, important, and full of life again. It was the best birthday he had experienced in quite some time...